Ellen White’s Recent Interview on Acupuncture Pneumothorax
At Acupuncture West London, we are very concerned following the news of the injury caused to Ellen White by an elite Sports Physiotherapist, who was practising ‘dry needling‘ (Sky Sports, 2022). We are very saddened to hear of the impact that this had on her life and her sporting career.
This incident highlights the need for regulation and higher standards of training in the field of acupuncture, which traditional acupuncturists have been calling for for many years.
Currently, some short courses in dry needling (ranging from 2 days to 6 months in duration) permit other UK health professionals to call themselves acupuncturists. Health professionals include GPs, physiotherapists, dentists, osteopaths, chiropractors, nurses, midwives, podiatrists and more. It can be very difficult for members of the public to know a practitioner’s level of training and clinical experience, and safety must always be paramount. With this in mind, you can be confident that all members of the British Acupuncture Council have completed over 3600 hours of training at degree level—400 of which must be supervised clinical training hours. Training usually comprises a full-time BSc (Hons) university degree in acupuncture (over a minimum of three years). It incorporates Western medical theory (anatomy, physiology and pathology), Chinese medicine philosophy and acupuncture. Members belong to an accredited register, regulated and approved by the Professional Standards Authority for Health & Social Care (PSA).
Acupuncture is an effective treatment for pain and is included in the NICE guidelines for the treatment of chronic pain. We hope that the public will continue to seek out this modality of treatment which is safe and effective in fully trained hands, and advise anyone looking for treatment to enquire about the level of training of their acupuncturist.
We wish Ms White the best for her health and thank her for alerting the public to her experience with her physiotherapist.
If you’d like to learn more about the difference between acupuncture and dry needling, please check out our recent blog post by clicking here.
Can acupuncture help me?
For the most up-to-date research and evidence on the efficacy of acupuncture, please visit the British Acupuncture Council (BAcC) website.
If you would like to learn more about how acupuncture may be able to help you, please contact us today.
